The complete automotive resource for buyers, sellers, and owners like you.
Car, Truck and SUV Forums at Roadfly
+ Bentley Forums
+ BMW Forums
+ Cadillac Forums
+ Chevrolet Forums
+ Ferrari Forums
+ Jaguar Forums
+ Lamborghini Forums
+ Lotus Forums
+ Mercedes-Benz Forums
+ Maserati Forums
+ MINI Forums
+ Porsche Forums
+ General Discussion
+ Marketplace Forums
Re: Methinks me have a bad brake booster... (archive)
[ Follow Ups ] [ 3-series (E21) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Posted by Peter S on August 19, 2001 at 12:46:03:

In Reply to: Methinks me have a bad brake booster... posted by alan on August 19, 2001 at 06:14:01:

I have strong doubts the brake booster is bad. It would only cause a hard pedal when failed not a pedal that goes to the floor.
Peter S


Okay, here's the situation. I was dropping my girlfriend off at her house after about an hours drive. I go to leave, and my brakes go all the way down to the floor. Yikes! So I risk it and drive it home. The next day, I start shopping for a clutch master cyl. because I knew it had been leaking a teeny bit and I assumed I blew the seal all the way out, getting air into the lines. (The clutch didn't feel right either.) So after a day of cussing and hurting myself in the sweltering heat, I had a new clutch master and slave cyl. in my car. Both were completely shot, and now the clutch feels very nice. Brakes are still down to the floor, even though I bled them 3 times. Here's the catch. When I pump the pedal, it will come back up to normal, and then I release it and it goes back down to no pressure. This would lead me to believe that the brake master is bad, but pumping the pedal ALSO causes the idle speed to increase by about 200 rpm!? This says to me "alan, you've got a vacuum leak in your booster," but I want to be sure before I go looking for new parts. I don't want to mess around with this, because the brakes are quite important, but I want to get it done and do it right. Oh, and I've checked everything else out, the cylinders in the drums aren't leaking, the metal lines are fine, and the calipers are fine. The car will stop, it just takes the full travel of the pedal to do it, which feels very scary. So anyway, I was going to buy a new master cyl, but is it feasible to get a brake booster out of the junkyard? I can't imagine they can go bad very easily without brake fluid leaking into them, as mine probably has. I'm not trying to cut corners, but I am definitely not wealthy and if I can safely save some money, I'll do it. Also, do my theories sound valid? I feel I've explored all the options, but please let me know if I'm missing something obvious. Anyway TIA for any help/insight you guys can instill on this brakeless wonder!
-alan
83 320i
79 320i




Follow Ups:


[ Follow Ups ] [ 3-series (E21) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Questions, comments, or problems, please visit the Roadfly help desk.
Roadfly.com Logo © 1997 - 2009 Jump Internet Inc. All rights reserved.